Best Served Cold A Dark AU Oneshot
by The84thWolf
Summary: A dark tale of what could have happened after the Fall of Beacon. Involves Roman Torchwick, Blake Belladonna, and Velvet Scarlatina. (First ever Dark AU, please let me know how I did!)


Background:

While chatting with some new acquaintances on the Amino, the topic turned to what would be the most uncomfortable scenario involving our favorite characters, Roman, Blake, and Velvet. Not only that, we are all interested in voice acting, so this was also a chance to see if we could pull off an emotionally charged scene. Finally, this was a challenge for me to write, since I have never attempted writing something so dark and depressing. This takes place around the V3 epilogue, when Blake has left Team RWBY, but is still in Vale.

Blake awoke in a darkened warehouse. Her head throbbed where a massive lump was forming. She blinked a few times, clearing her vision of dried blood that had covered her left eye. She looked around, her night vision not quite adjusting fully to the dark room. There was a crumpled form close by, unmoving. Blake tried to stand, but fell back as something on her wrists clanked and held her. Chains.

Blake began panicking for a moment, then took a deep breath. Remembering her training and her own experience when she ran with the White Fang, she took a moment to assess her situation. Her wrists were shackled by a chain that slid across under a metal clamp anchoring it to the floor before flowing up into the rafters. The rest of the warehouse was filled with wooden crates, but by the looks of them, they had been long abandoned.

This wasn't too surprising. After the fall of Vale, many buildings were abandoned as the survivors of the city retreated to safe zones away from Beacon. Blake stayed just long enough to be sure Yang would live before striking out on her own. She had spent about a week in the city, trying to do whatever she could to help. The last thing she had remembered was something hard hitting her in the back of the head.

Blake pulled at the chains, testing their strength. They clattered loudly in the dark building.

"What have we got here?" said a voice in the dark.

Blake looked up, startled. She knew that voice.

Out of the shadows, his cane tapping as he walked, a lantern in his other hand, came Roman Torchwick. Looking exactly as she remembered, his white coat spotless, his hat cocked at a jaunty angle. The only thing missing was his trademark cigar. "Hello kitty cat. You miss me?"

"Roman?" asked Blake. "What are you doing here?"

Roman Torchwick has been absent ever since the night Beacon fell. Rumors said he had died when Ironwood's flagship had crashed.

"Ah I couldn't leave without saying goodbye to my favorite girls," said Roman, standing over her. "Admit it; you missed me."

Blake glared at him. "I wish you had died on that ship. No one would have missed you."

Something twitched in Roman's face, then his smirk returned. Without warning, he flicked his cane forward and slapped Blake across the face. Blake fell on her hands with a cry. She slowly rose back on her knees, blood trickling from her mouth from a new wound. Roman turned around and nonchalantly wondered over to the unidentified pile on the floor.

"Maybe you're right little girl, but at least I'm Human. Not like this trash." He kicked the form and it rolled over with a whimper. Now Blake could see who it was; Velvet, the Faunus from Team CFVY.

"Velvet!" cried Blake.

Velvet looked broken. Her clothes were ripped and torn. Bruises covered her arms and face. What chilled Blake the most though, was Velvet's left ear; the top half looked as if it was sawed off. Velvet looked up at Blake, one eye swollen shut.

"Blake? Is that you?" She made to get up on her hands and knees. Roman stomped on her back, forcing her face to the ground.

"Ahhhhhh!" cried Velvet.

"Oh ho ho, don't be wondering off now," said Roman cheerfully.

"Leave her alone!" shouted Blake.

Roman removed his foot and nudged Velvet with his toe. "Alright, alright, go say hi to your friend, you animal. I'll be back in a moment." Placing his lantern on a box, he walked away behind a pile of crates. Velvet slowly dragged herself forward until Blake grasped her hands.

"Velvet, are you okay?" asked Blake.

"I've been better," said Velvet weakly. "He got me a few days after Beacon fell. I was clearing out Grimm with Coco in the square before he ambushed me. I don't know what happened to Coco."

"I heard rumors that you went missing," said Blake. "Coco has been looking for you ever since you disappeared three days ago."

Velvet's one normal eye widened in shock. "It's...it's only been three days?"

Blake took another look over her wounds. "What has he done to you?" Velvet flinched.

"It doesn't matter. You have to get out of here."

"I am not leaving without you," said Blake.

"You don't have a choice. I can barely move. You would be lucky to get me to the street. You need to get out before he comes back." Velvet glanced at Blake's chains. "Hang on, I think I have something to pick this."

Velvet pulled a hair clip from her pocket and began jiggling the lock, but froze. A tap-tap-tapping sound was coming closer.

"Hurry!" whispered Velvet, pushing herself away. Blake put her hands behind her back as Roman appeared again, whistling and carrying a black case. Velvet took one look at it and began to tremble. "No. Please, no, not again."

Roman placed the bag down and opened it. Blake could see several knives, a police baton, a dust pistol and a dozen more weapons laid out neatly inside.

"You know, I didn't know how fun this was until I actually started doing it," said Roman conversationally to Blake as he perused his choices, finally selecting a military blade. "It's like ice cream; it's not easy to stop." Velvet attempted to drag herself away, but Roman grabbed her by her leg and dragged her in front of Blake. "This most important thing is location; to find a place you won't be interrupted." He waved a hand, indicating the warehouse as Velvet began to whimper. "That way, you can enjoy this."

He jammed the knife into Velvet's leg and twisted it viciously.

"AHHHHH!" screamed Velvet. Blake gritted her teeth and fumbled with her makeshift lockpick. Roman pulled out the knife and lightly rested it on Velvet's cheek, who began to cry with halting sobs.

"The next thing is being patient and deliberate; it's no fun if it's too quick." He began to slice down Velvet's cheek, who cried out as he made a long, deep cut from her temple to her jaw.

"YOU MONSTER!" screamed Blake. Roman looked at her, offended.

"Monster? You're not even human." He sighed. "To be honest, this is the first time with a...captured audience. I must say, you're putting me off." He glanced down at the quivering Velvet. "It may be time to move on." He began examining his tools again. "Hey Cottontail, if you have anything to say, do it now."

Blake jammed her lockpick into her cuff, desperately trying to unlock it, no longer caring of being subtle. Velvet propped herself up on her elbows and looked at Blake.

"Blake...please tell my team what happened. Tell them I'm sorry. But tell them it was quick. Coco would never forgive herself."

Blake gritted her teeth. "You'll be fine Velvet, don't give up."

Velvet smiled weakly. "Just in case. I don't want Coco to doubt herself forever. And tell Yatsuhashi—"

Roman suddenly reached down with a surgical blade and quickly slashed Velvet's throat. Velvet's face was full of surprise. She coughed, spluttered, then slumped forward to the floor.

"NOOOO!" Blake screamed.

Finally, the lock clicked open. Desperately, Blake extended her free hand to Velvet, trying to reach her. A foot came down hard on Blake's outstretched hand, breaking the fingers.

"AHHH!" screamed Blake. Roman looked down at her with a mixture of amusement and surprise.

"Hey now, kitty was up to no good." He looked at Velvet's body and tsked. "She made quite a mess, didn't she?"

"I'll kill you!" shouted Blake, screaming again as Roman grinded his shoe on Blake's fingers.

"You'll make a good attempt, I'm sure," said Roman using his cane to tip Blake's face up so they were eye to eye. "But it will end the same for you."

Blake's anger bubbled inside her. She jerked at her remaining chain, feeling her joints straining. Roman tossed his cane in front of her, still holding down her free hand and gripped her hair.

"Now sit still," he said, turning her head so her right ear was exposed. "I want one of your pretty cat ears."

Roman began cutting as the pain exploded. Blake pulled and pulled at her chain. Despite the anger, the grief, and the unbelievable pain, she had a plan. But for it to work, she had to let Roman hack away.

Finally, with a triumphant yell, Roman pulled an ear free and held it up to examine it, taking his eyes off Blake.

"Ahh, nice to be on the side of victory with you kids." He looked down just in time to see his cane swing toward him.

Blake, who had dislocated her wrist to slip out of the remaining cuff, awkwardly gripped the cane and hit Roman as hard as she could. While there was not a lot of power behind the blow, it was sufficient enough to catch him by surprise and have him stumbling back onto the floor. Sizing one of Roman's discarded knives, Blake leaped forward and stabbed downward. She felt it land just as a kick sent her sprawling. Blake rolled to her feet and looked up.

Roman staggered into a sitting position weakly reaching for the knife that was embedded into his neck. Choking, he coughed, blood pooling down his coat and he...flickered.

Blake watched shocked as Roman...shattered and another figure sat in his place. Blake recognized the ability as well as the person left behind; the quiet henchwoman Roman had called Neo.

Neo coughed blood as she glared at Blake, her eyes full of fire and hate. Blake watched her in shock as she actually managed to get to her feet, swaying like a drunk, clutching her knife. Neo smiled crazily, her eyes widening in excitement. She took two steps forward, then her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed onto the floor. Blake's legs gave way, and she fell on her hand and knees, throwing up from the fear and pain. Once she recovered, she crawled to where Velvet lie, and pulled her into her lap.

It was many hours before Blake searched Neo's body for a scroll to call for police. And once they arrived, they found her holding onto Velvet a little ways away from the second body who, due to the almost completely smashed face, they were unable to visually identify.


End file.
